Transmitted via email to: speakerblas@guamlegislature.gov
October 31. 2025
THE HONORABLE FRANK F. BLAS, JR.
Speaker
I Mina’ Trentai Ocho na Liheslaturan Guahan
38th Guam Legislature
Guam Congress Building
163 W. Chalan Santo Papa Hagatña, Guam 96910
Hàfa Adai Speaker Blas.
For decades, the question of how much our elected officials should be paid has been clouded by mistrust. politics. and perception. Every discussion about salaries. no matter how justified. has too often been seen through the lens of self-interest. This has eroded public confidence in the integrity of government and weakened our ability to have an honest conversation about the value of public service.
This bill seeks to change that. It establishes the Guam Elected Officials Compensation Commission. an independent. data-driven body tasked with evaluating and recommending compensation for Guam’s elected oflicials based on facts. not politics.
The goal is to set salaries al the appropriate levels. The goal is to restore credibility to a process that for too long has lacked it. The Commission will take a hard look at the strueture of compensation in the executive and legislative branches to ensure that pay reflects responsibility. workload. and public accountability. It will study inequities that exist today. where some positions with narrower duties earn more than others carrying broader. island-wide responsibilities. and recommend a rational. transparent framework that the people of Guam can trust.
Importantly, no salary adjustments recommended by the Commission will take effect until the inauguration of the next Legislature. This safeguard ensures that any future changes are implemented fairly and without benefit to current officeholders, reinforcing that this effort is about good governance, not personal gain.
This reform establishes a simple but vital principle that no elected official should ever set their own salary. Instead. compensation should be determined by an objective, independent process guided by expertise. transparency, and fairness. In doing so. we uphold the integrity of public service and strengthen the people’s faith that government decisions are made in their best interest. not our own.
This legislation is about more than compensation. It is about trust. accountability. and respect for the offices that serve our island. By passing this bill. we take a step toward depoliticizing one of the most sensitive issues in governance and reaffirm that leadership is a duty of service. not self-benefit.
Therefore. in accordance with the Organic Act of Guam. I transmit the enclosed legislation for introduction and consideration by / Liheslaturan Guahan.
Senseramente,
LOURDES A. LEON GUERRERO
I Maga ‘hågan Guåhan
Governor of Guam